Community Magazine December 2019

not evenly. One baby was getting the majority of the nutrients and the other was not getting enough. The one lacking nutrients was, consequently, a lot smaller. The couple was advised by their doctor to go to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The doctor told them this hospital can split the placenta in half so the pregnancy can last up until thirty-five weeks. By the time the difficult news got to the couple, an appointment had already been arranged for them. Off to Philadelphia Gloria and her husband immediately left baby Melanie with Gloria’s parents, and traveled to Philadelphia. After getting settled, they headed straight to the hospital. Gloria then endured many hours of meticulous sonograms. The technicians measured every inch of each baby, up and down their bodies, from their big heads to their tiny toes.  At the end of the day, the doctor from the hospital sat the couple down to discuss solutions. They explained that since Baby A was so much smaller than Baby B it would be dangerous for the pregnancy to continue without immediate action. If they continued the pregnancy with both babies, little Baby A and possibly also Baby B could be born with a number of medical conditions such as heart problems, brain damage, cerebral palsy, etc. Jacob was exhausted from a day of traveling, hospital rooms, and medical terms, and he just wanted to hear what the doctors were hinting at in plain English. “So you’re saying that we should abort Baby A to save Baby B?” Jacob asked the doctor directly. “We can do it in a way that will not harm Baby B,” the doctor responded. Reaching Out for Rabbinic Advice The couple had a huge decision to make, and they knew that they could not make it alone. They quickly called Rabbi H. for advice. Rabbi H. said they should speak to Rabbi F., and he would try to get them in touch with him. The couple was pressed for time. The doctor had made it clear that they had to decide that very day. Anymore waiting could be potentially harmful. Rabbi H. was not able to reach Rabbi F. but was able to get the couple in touch with Rabbi K.  Gloria and Jacob told Rabbi K. all the details over the phone. They told the rabbi all the awful things the doctor said could potentially happen if the babies were born together. Rabbi K. said given the circumstances they were able to proceed in any way they thought necessary. The couple left the hospital and when they got back to the hotel room, they knew they had to make a decision, one way or the other. Putting Hashem Into the Picture “Listen, honey,” Gloria said to Jacob. “Hashem put these two babies in here,” she said pointing to her stomach. “And they’re going to come out okay. If Hashem wants them to live, then live they will, if they are meant to die, that’s what will happen.” The couple decided together, with full emunah , that it was probably best to heed the doctor’s advice. The next day they went to the hospital intent on going through with the procedure. Before they could get started, the doctor wanted to make sure Gloria was healthy enough to go ahead with the procedure. After examining Gloria, the doctor discovered that there was too much water in Baby B's sack, which meant they might have to cancel the procedure because it could cause complications. The doctor left the room to mull things over and came back with a solution. Using a syringe and very steady hands, the doctor removed two liters of water from Baby B's sack. The doctor was now determined to go forward with the procedure. “So you’re saying that we should abort ‘Baby A’ to save ‘Baby B’?” Jacob asked the doctor directly . KISLEV 5780 DECEMBER 2019 31